1. Field
A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery, a method of preparing the same, and a negative electrode and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rechargeable lithium batteries have recently drawn attention as a power source for small portable electronic devices. Rechargeable lithium batteries use an organic electrolyte and thereby have twice or more of the discharge voltage than that of a conventional battery using an alkaline aqueous solution, and accordingly have high energy density.
A rechargeable lithium battery is usually manufactured by injecting an electrolyte into an electrode assembly, which typically includes a positive electrode including a positive active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions and a negative electrode including a negative active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions.
As for negative active materials of a rechargeable lithium battery, various carbon-based materials such as artificial graphite, natural graphite, and hard carbon have been used. Recently, a non-carbon-based negative active material such as silicon (Si) has been researched to determine whether it meets the demands for stability and high-capacity.